Plastic Classic Forum

Vark

In Rhode Island we have Wickford Marine Consignment and Newport Nautical. I've seen bronze and chromed bronze cowls in both places, the problem is getting a matching plate and plate cover as these items tend to be orphans . I do believe they have web sites.

Vark

Seen on the transom of a quohogging skiff in Rhode Island : "Clam Destined Operation"

Vark

A little more work but no regrets.

Vark

This is a very entertaining page, keep them coming !

Saw a large cabin cruiser in New Harbor, Block Island called "Gas Pain"

Vark

My 2 cents.............. I too would bite the bullet and fiberglass the overhead, (deck bottom, ceiling, upper interior surface, inside roof, deck underside or what ever you wish to call it ), plywood does not take paint well, it eventually checks and looks bad, when that happens you'll wish you too...

Vark

Most fiberglass boats start their lives with shinny gel-coated topsides which are waxed to get that shine, if left un-waxed it soon oxidizes, deteriorates and shows scum and rust marks so it's wise to keep gel-coat waxed. Shinny paint has it's advantages as well. Deck are painted or gel-coated light...

Vark

--Paulus, I have yet to see a 2 part epoxy paint that flows and flattens well, usually primers are 2 part epoxy which have to be sanded smooth regardless of whether they're sprayed ,brushed or rolled on. I've had good luck with Epifanes 2 part paint but you can't apply it over most 1 part paint . Th...

Vark

I believe Formula 27 is basically Bondo which is talc mixed with polyester resin. I've used Bondo on a work boat of mine which was used daily for many years without any problems of water absorption. I think Formula 27 will be fine on a vertical surface but I would avoid using it where water stands f...

Vark

A boat builders dream = Epoxy saturated pants....long wearing and you never have to wash them !

Vark

Rachel, you could put a "feeler" ad up on Craigslist something like: ......... 5/16 HT chain , $3.25 per foot ,150' minimum..............and see what kind of response you get. I call it "test marketing". You can do this with any item ie: line, resin, etc. to see if there are inte...

Vark

Hi Zach, I've done this with a group of other commercial fishermen. Someone will buy 55 gallons of resin, use half and sell the rest 1-5 gallons at a time. Also have done it with varnish, bottom paint, fiberglass cloth by the roll as well as with 55 gallons of 2 cycle outboard motor oil. Commercial ...

Vark

Bob, although a brilliant idea which could be used with copper pennies as well, I do believe it's illegal to deface American currency.................................the Feds may even confiscate your boat for evidence..............sorry for the bad news.

Vark

I remove jack stands from under my Swiftsure 33 ( which is the big sister to your Meridian ) all the time. I simply wedge a couple of 4x4s in near the stand I'm going to move then crank it down slowly keeping a sharp lookout for movement. Obviously, make sure no one is on board.............. You can...

Vark

My 2 cents.................
It can actually be easier working on a boat that's in the water especially if you set up a work shop / area close by. It's certainly easier stepping on to a boat from a dock than climbing up and down a ladder all day as in a shop or on the hard.

Vark

Vark

It's perfectly acceptable to use unbunged screws on exterior bright work especially on items you wish to remove at some point without fuss, I prefer oval head slotted bronze which have a more elegant look than stainless, flat head or philips head screws.

Vark

Vark

I agree that Cabosil or West System colloidal silica epoxy saturated filler is difficult to sand especially if one has not developed sufficient sanding and grinding skills as may be the scenario here in which case micro balloons ( West 407) will work just fine, that said, these boats have hard chine...

Vark

I own one of these and have worked on a few, I'd say grind down the area on the inside, fiberglass using either poly or epoxy resin then fill from the outside using epoxy with Cabosil, West System Colloidal Silica or other non water absorbing filler. Don't use polyester Bondo. ( absorbs water) Avoid...

Vark

42 years with the same boat says a lot about the boat and it's owner !

Vark

Nice boat, great pictures ! Will you be heading north to New England this summer?

Vark

Steve,
I'd say for best results use Marine-Tex or West System epoxy or other epoxy mixed with West System "High-density filler", I'm sure there are other products too. You can probably get away with epoxy mixed with colloidal silica or Cabosil .

Vark

There is an Alberg designed Bristol 27 called the B-27 Weekender which has a larger cockpit and smaller cabin. It's a very close cousin to the Pearson Triton built in the same town and no doubt by some of the same workers!

: bristol27bn.jpg (18.5 KiB) Viewed 23392 times

Vark

One very beautiful yacht, congratulations !

Vark

Hunkered down, dreaming of spring

Vark

My 2 cents.............. So you want to restore an old B.O.A.T. ? Break-Out-Another-Thousand ! If you want to restore a 38' classic plastic sailboat figure out how long it will take you and how much you will spend. Think about this long and hard and when you finally come up with a figure that you fe...

Vark

There is a fungicide in the oil so the wood doesn't turn black, there is also iron oxide (rust) which make for a 99% UV filter stabilizing the oil and keeping the sun from deteriorating the wood plus it adds a nice color, I'll post pictures soon.

Vark

I bought a new, all stainless steel double burner propane camp stove ( the type that opens up) with an automatic igniter at Walmart in Durham N.C. for $35, it uses 1 pound bottles. Works great and stows easily. I live in Rhode Island but have never seen any at the local Walmarts.

Vark

You can try removing it as suggested, if it come out easily you're ahead of the game, if things get difficult you can either go with the yard worker or ask for more advice here. If you manage to get it out and a new one in you may have to epoxy the old set screw holes using a hard "filler"...

Vark

I say go for it, it's something you should learn how to do. Remove the all the set screws, then try banging it out from inside the boat using a dowel or pipe larger than the prop shaft, go slow and easy. You can try cutting it to release some pressure before tapping it out. Cut slowly in 2-3 places,...

Vark

I've tried them all: 1 part low tech, 1 part high tech, 2 part expensive, I've tried oils: tung, linseed, deks oley, I've tried the synthetics: Cetol, Epiphanes , etc. NONE of them remotely compare to Penofin, an oil made from a nut from a sustainable tree grown in South America. I just came back fr...

Vark

Rachel, unfortunately I don't quite know what happened to that particular Meridian, I heard it changed owners and the new one was sailing it from R.I. to Florida. I was out sailing with a friend on his 1962 Rhode's Chesapeake when his mast distorted and bent just below the spreaders. He took it down...

Vark

Rachel, It's been a while since I worked on the Meridian but I believe it was an early model because it had a wooden mast and boom. I was referring to the toe rail fasteners, as you mentioned, they are attached BEFORE the deck and hull are glassed together. Water works its way down those fasteners f...

Vark

Thanks for the greeting Rachel, I've done some work on a friends Meridian and found the method of construction similar to my Swiftsure. Most of the bronze hardware is just a smaller version. It also suffers the same problems notably the hull / deck joint where water seeps in the bolt holes and gets ...

Vark

I did a 7 year restoration on a Swiftsure 33 and I assure you paint will not stick to the cabin ceiling because that red/pinkish stuff will flake and flake. Grinding it off is almost impossible but maybe sand blasting will work. You're going to have to stiffen the cabin roof at some point to stop it...

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Search found 33 matches

Re: Looking for dorade cowl vent scoops

Re: Another outstanding bad boat name

Re: What Paint???.... Marine Ply in the cabin.

Re: Another outstanding bad boat name

Re: What Paint???.... Marine Ply in the cabin.

Re: Exterior glassed plywood + fairing compound

Re: Exterior glassed plywood + fairing compound

Re: Exterior glassed plywood + fairing compound

Re: Where's the sense (cents)?

Re: Group purchase question....

Re: Group purchase question....

Re: Where's the sense (cents)?

Re: Moving jackstands

Re: Floating rebuild

Re: What fasteners to use

Re: Dingy Rehab: Wood and Fiberglass Questions

Re: Dingy Rehab: Wood and Fiberglass Questions

Re: Triton Hull No. 205

Re: Tehani celebrating her 50th this year!!

Re: Pulling and replacing a cutlass bearing in a stern tube

Re: Alternatives to the Pearson Ensign?

Re: Palmer Johnson Alberg 35

Swiftsure 33

Re: Restoring an older boat

Re: Cetol or Varnish?......

Re: Alcohol Stove Advice ??

Re: Pulling and replacing a cutlass bearing in a stern tube

Re: Pulling and replacing a cutlass bearing in a stern tube

Re: Cetol or Varnish?......

Re: Flaky peeling paint

Re: Flaky peeling paint

Re: Flaky peeling paint

Re: Flaky peeling paint